Prime minister, Governor General to be joined by Indigenous leaders at Queen's funeral

Canadian delegation will include RCMP members, armed forces regiments, Order of Canada members

Cbc.ca
Sept. 16, 2022
Darren Major

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon will be joined by a number of their predecessors and Indigenous leaders in the Canadian delegation attending Queen Elizabeth's state funeral in London.

Former prime ministers Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, Jean Chretien and Kim Campbell will be part of the delegation, as will former governors general Michaelle Jean and David Johnston.

Absent from the delegation are former governors general Ed Schreyer, Adrienne Clarkson and Julie Payette. Former prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark are choosing to attend the ceremony in Ottawa, sources told CBC.

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said the delegation was chosen based on past practices.

"There is a long tradition and the protocol is pretty clear," he said.

Also joining the delegation are Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed and President of the Metis National Council Cassidy Caron.

More than a dozen Canadian Armed Forces regiments will travel to London to take part in the ceremony alongside other uniformed personnel from around the Commonwealth.

Four members of the RCMP's musical ride will appear in the funeral procession in London. They'll be riding horses on loan from the stables at Buckingham Palace.

Cross of Valour recipient Leslie Arthur Palmer and Order of Canada members Mark Tewksbury, Gregory Charles and Sandra Oh will attend the service as part of a procession of national honour recipients.

Up to a million Britons and visitors from around the world are expected to line up at Westminster Hall to say farewell to Britain's longest-reigning monarch this week.

The ceremony in Ottawa
Back in Ottawa, many parliamentarians and dignitaries who are not attending the funeral in London will participate in a commemorative ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral.

That ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m., with Clarkson and Mulroney delivering addresses.

Events will kick off in Ottawa a little before that, at 12:10 p.m., with a parade featuring members of the Canadian Armed Forces. They'll depart Cartier Square Drill Hall, behind City Hall, accompanied by the Canadian Armed Forces Central Band.
The parade will march past the war memorial and in front of the Parliament buildings, where 96 salvos will be fired into the air -- one for each year of the Queen's life.

Starting at 5 a.m. ET Monday, CBC News will have live televised coverage of the state funeral, hosted from London by chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault and Morning Live host Heather Hiscox. You can watch on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem and CBCNews.ca.

CBC Radio One will have live coverage of the funeral starting at 5:30 a.m. ET, hosted by The Current's Matt Galloway in London and World Report's Marcia Young in Toronto. Listen on CBC Radio One and on the free CBC Listen app.